Reviewed and updated October 9, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. The arrest and crime counts are the ones each agency reported to the FBI, as the FBI held them on October 8, 2026.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa, has about 94,000 residents (2024 Census Bureau estimate). A police report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, so which office holds a report from Pottawattamie County depends on where the incident happened: the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county, the agency that reports for the city inside a city. This guide names each agency, where its records page is and what the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) requires of it.
This guide covers which agency, the sheriff's reports, the cities' reports, how many reports, what the law requires and common questions.
Related guides: Pottawattamie County public records, Pottawattamie County arrest records, Pottawattamie County warrants, Pottawattamie County inmate search, Pottawattamie County criminal records, Iowa arrest records and Iowa inmate search.
Which Agency Holds a Report from Pottawattamie County
A crime, incident or collision report belongs to the agency whose officer wrote it, and that agency releases it, not the court, the jail or the prosecutor.
In Pottawattamie County that is the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office for the unincorporated county and for any city that contracts with it for police service, and the agency that reports for a city where the city has one of its own.
The FBI's list also carries the Union Pacific Railroad Police (other agency), with a records office of its own.
Reports from the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office is the county agency; it had 33 violent and 140 property crimes reported for 2025 and reported 483 arrests for 2025.
Its reports come from its records unit. The office's page SearchSystems verified is its jail page, at sheriff.pottcounty-ia.gov/jail (page title: Pottawattamie County Jail Division | Council Bluffs, Iowa), a site that blocks automated checks (HTTP 403), so open it in a browser.
Reports from the City Agencies in Pottawattamie County
The two cities the FBI lists in Pottawattamie County with a reporting agency of their own, with the police records page SearchSystems verified where the city has a guide:
- Council Bluffs: 329 violent and 1,397 property crimes reported for 2025; 1,696 arrests reported for 2025. The Council Bluffs police records page is at councilbluffs-ia.gov/DocumentCenter/View/9194/Investigative-File-Re... (verified September 26, 2026).
- Carter Lake: 276 arrests reported for 2024.
A city on that list is reported separately whether the officers are the city's own or the sheriff's under contract; the FBI's list does not say which.
How Many Reports: Pottawattamie County in 2025
The two agencies in Pottawattamie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 362 violent and 1,537 property crimes to the FBI that year, each one a report taken by the agency that holds it.
Together, the two agencies in Pottawattamie County with all twelve months of 2025 on file reported 2,179 arrests to the FBI that year, and each arrest is a report of its own.
What the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) Requires
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the agency must answer a request without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified, and it may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval. The request goes to the agency that holds the report, in writing, and does not have to say why the report is wanted.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a police report in Pottawattamie County?
From the agency whose officer took it: the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office for its own arrests, or the agency that reports for the city where it happened. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
How long does an agency in Pottawattamie County have to answer?
Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22), without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified. It may charge the actual cost of copying and retrieval.
How do I get a report from the Pottawattamie County Sheriff's Office?
From its records unit. Under the Iowa Open Records Law (Chapter 22) the answer is due without delay; the law sets no fixed number of days, and a delay past 20 days must be justified.
Is this the official Pottawattamie County website?
No. SearchSystems.net is an independent public records guide, online since 1997. It links to the official county, court and state offices described above and does not hold records, charge for them or take requests.